Some of my sport fishing friends here in New Brunswick and I really enjoy fishing for smallmouth bass all season long, but the fall season is without a doubt the best time of year as this is the time of the year smallmouth start on that final feeding frenzy to fatten up for the lean winter months.

I will say that spring is my second most favourite time of the year but it’s largely due to the fact I’ve experienced quite enough winter by then.

What Makes Fall Such Good Fishing?

As fall approaches the water temperature in rivers and lakes begin to drop which causes the weed beds to die off slowly which in turn decreases the level of oxygen in the water.

The lower levels of oxygen in the water sends the bass looking for more oxygen rich water which usually means they will be stacked up around healthy weed beds. This makes it much easier to locate them if you focus on finding the remaining healthy patches of weeds.

Testing The Waters

The last time I was out Bass fishing in the fall there were four of us. I wanted to test the waters as they say so I didn’t tell my buddies that I was only going to fish green weeds.

At the end of the day we compared notes and I had hooked and landed 4 times as many fish as two of my buddies. The third guy did the same thing as I did and only fished spots that still had healthy weed beds.

Mmmm That Looks Tasty

It’s at this time Smallies tend to be less discriminating than they can be at other times of the year due to the fact winter is fast approaching and now is the time to put on some fat for the winter months. Smallies are inclined to chase almost any baits at this point in the season. I have observed them go way out of their way to reach a lure in the Fall.

I truly do take pleasure in casting in the lily pads for Smallmouth bass at any time but particularly throughout the Fall once patches of weeds which are producing oxygen begin the process of to die off. For the duration of those fall weeks I really watch the healthier weeds still making oxygen.

Smallmouth bass are cold blooded therefore as the temperature of the lake water lowers the Smallmouth will slow down as well so it’s necessary to slow your baits as well. You will find that you hook up with a lot more Smallmouth’s.

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• Hot Lake George, New Brunswick Smallmouth Bass on the Fly (thejoyofflyfishing.com)

Trout are cold blooded creatures and are directly affected by the change in water temperature, so the colder the water the slower their energy levels. To raise their energy they will stay close to the surface in the direct sunlight where it is stronger so they can warm up their body.

The quicker a predator can swim the more they can eat. Of course the faster their food source can swim the hungrier the predator will get so it’s important to get that first direct sunlight in order to be the fastest.

I’ve found once the water reaches a particular temp, generally late spring, they do not need to lay in the sunlight as long.

Sport Fishing Those Scorching Days of Summer

Early spring throughout the beginning summer months fish, large and small, are aiming to warm-up. However, when early spring changes into summer the temperatures coming from focused sunlight gets more extreme. Fish are likely to find shelter because of the bright rays of sunlight.

Fish tend to search for deeper, cooler water or practically any kind of obstacle that presents cover out of the sun.

It’s at these times sport fishing can become seriously exciting since fish could blow up on a lure from the security of lily pads.

Related articles

• Hot Lake George, New Brunswick Smallmouth Bass on the Fly (thejoyofflyfishing.com)

It was cloudy, it was windy and it was very foggy and the forecast was possible rain until noon. A great day for fishing but then isn’t any day a great day for fishing.

When we are taking a canoe with us we don’t care much for the wind. It just makes handling the canoe a chore and that’s exactly what it did but we still had a great day, because we were fishing of course.

We could see by the movement of the tree tops that the wind was not calming down the further we got from home. So as we were driving the discussion was about where we would fish.

When we have days that are windy we pay attention to wind direction and then head for a cove or bay that is protected from the wind.

We stopped at our first fishing spot and looked at the water. It was a bit choppy but we thought we would be able to get to a protected spot to fish for a while from there so we launched the canoe.

You can see Jamie hiding in the trunk I am sure he was tying on a secret weapon, so I was planning how I could accidentally cut his line when he turned his back for a minute.

You can see the fog has pretty much lifted by the time we arrived but the wind wasn’t about to let up though.

Beauty Hiding In The Most Unlikely Spots

As we were carrying Jamie’s canoe down to the water I noticed a pink colour in the bush to my right so when we got to the water and put the canoe down I went back to take a look.

It was a wild rose bush. I was amazed that it could survive as it was surrounded by taller vegetation.

There is beauty every where in nature, you just have to have your eyes open.

We did a lot of moving around as the wind seemed to keep changing direction on us. Just as you thought you were in control the wind would spin us around.

It’s kind of funny how the wind can turn you directly opposite of where the fish are. You make a cast, the water explodes and then you are facing the other way.

We still managed to have a great day despite the windy conditions.

Why I Like Fishing With Friends

It’s always exciting when a friend catches an unexpected catch.

We shoved off from shore and headed to a spot that was out of the wind where. It’s always a great place to start as we usually catch two or three fish there and today was no different.

Well okay it was different but Jamie will have to tell you about that as he was the first to catch a fish. Here is a link to Jamie’s fun fishing blog, you will be able to read all about it.